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Elon Musk Is a Party Crasher, Cuts Drivers' Access to Full Autopilot Features

Here, hold this. Now, let it go. You see how the vehicle is taking the turn by itself while keeping the right following distance from the car in front? That’s autopilot. Wait. It may be working, but it does not allow the Tesla Model S to drive itself, so you’d better put your hands back where they should be.
Tesla Model S drivers will be restricted to using the new Autopilot software update 1 photo
Photo: www.ibitimes.com
Last night, Elon Musk was busy with the Tesla Motors’ quarterly conference call. Figures were discussed, but this is not the reason you’re here. You see, the EV maker’s CEO also said that preliminary data seem to show that the Autopilot feature hasn't caused any accidents so far. Moreover, the same software update reportedly helped prevent accidents from happening in the first place - which is the purpose of it after all.

“So it appears to be quite beneficial from a safety standpoint, and I believe some of our customers have posted videos to this respect,” Musk said, according to TeslaMotorsClub member Robbo. But it was not all milk and honey, as Tesla Motors CEO also mentioned that there was some bad publicity to the software coming from those who used Autopilot in a rather foolish way.

“And we will be putting some additional constraints on when Autopilot can be activated to minimize the possibility of people doing crazy things with it.” The transcript of the call is not entirely accurate, one would imagine, but one thing is certain: the company will come with further limitations for the system.

Considering the Tesla Model S is already using movement sensors that can tell what the driver is doing behind the wheel, the update will most likely involve some restraints to the driver’s access to full Autopilot features. Namely, Tesla Motors will make sure drivers hold their hands on the steering wheel. On the other hand, if this becomes imperative, the company's research and development for the autonomous feature will be limited.
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